Keeping the Edge

Dick Schaaf, a leading authority on the subject and co-author of The Service Edge, goes back to the 101 companies he profiled in 1989 and takes an eye-opening look at what has happened to them. Ninety-nine of the original 101 are still in business - and all have had to learn valuable lessons in the nineties in order to keep, refine, even reinvent their edges in increasingly competitive markets. Schaaf does not soften the blows when he looks at what developed in some of America's best companies - and what those developments portend for the rest of the decade. Yet, while confronting the tough realities, he maintains an upbeat, hopeful outlook, showing how logical progression has taken us from the first service crusade of the eighties, through the quality movement, downsizing, empowerment, teams, reengineering. . . and now right back to a renewed emphasis on customer service. 358 pages.